Statistical outlooks on the Nordic senior population

This chapter examines what characterises the key aspects of active and healthy ageing among older adults in the Nordic countries based on a list of common Nordic statistical indicators compiled in a parallel study. Preliminary analysis suggests that the indicators overall offer a wealth of data that can show what efforts and trends stand out in a regional context. 

In a complementary report, Indicators for Active and Healthy Ageing in the Nordic Region. Possibilities and Challenges (Cuadrado et al., 2022), the focus was on identifying available statistical indicators for the Nordic countries. The report compiled relevant indicators at different territorial levels and from different sources. These included data at the national and regional levels from Eurostat, the OECD, the European Social Survey (ESS), and UNECE and from Nordic statistics institutes and national agencies, placing an emphasis on how indicators currently apply in active and healthy ageing-related policies. 

The study highlighted that there is currently no pre-existing list of indicators that are common to all Nordic countries. Hence, the compilation of the Nordic indicators suggested in this report and in Indicators for Active and Healthy Ageing in the Nordic Region (2022) could potentially, with further development, be included in a basic framework for monitoring active and healthy ageing in the Nordic countries. 

While such a framework remains a near-future endeavour, statistical indicators are nevertheless the cornerstone for understanding the status of a particular issue, such as inequity in health, and for informing action plans, strategies, and initiatives. The purpose of this chapter is therefore to begin drawing on some of these indicators that reflect cross-comparisons and outlooks on the diverse Nordic senior population. 

Based on the thematic domains set by UNECE’s Active Ageing Index and the WHO’s conceptualisations of active and healthy ageing (UNECE, 2019; WHO, 2007; WHO, 2015), what are referred to here as the common Nordic indicators are grouped under the following three domains: 1) Healthy ageing and well-being, 2) Socio-economic status, and 3) Social activity, engagement, and participation (see tables 1, 2 and 3). These domains capture different key dimensions of active and healthy ageing, and while not fixed, they provide a new landscape for comparisons across the Nordic countries. It should also be added that the boundaries between the three domains overlap as some of the indicators may fall into one or another domain depending on how and in which context they are interpreted. 

With the existing data and within the scope of this report, an in-depth intersectional analysis at the Nordic level would, for instance, require a next phase to consider data with additional variables. In the following sections a select number of indicators for the Nordic countries have been chosen to characterise key aspects of the three domains. The indicators are comparable and available for all Nordic countries, which is a precondition for being able carry out a Nordic-wide analysis of relevant statistics.

The statistical indicators under this domain cover a variety of physical health measures and different ways that older adults perceive their own health, in addition to some that address mental health and nutrition. While additional indicators on the biomarkers of ageing are available in some Nordic countries, the data included here reflect that overall health is an important measure of well-being and sets the preconditions for active ageing for older adults, including aspects such as their personal independence and participation in local communities. The following indicators with data source codes are considered: 

Table 1. Indicators for healthy ageing & well-being

Life expectancies among the Nordic population are generally comparatively high by international and European comparisons. Since 2010, life expectancy has increased in all Nordic countries for both men and women. Figure 3 shows the average remaining number of years that a person in the Nordic countries at age 65 can be expected to live (assuming that current age-specific mortality levels in the countries remain constant).  As shown in the figure, the remaining life expectancy of women at age 65 is between two and three years longer than for men in all five Nordic countries. 

In general, women tend to have a higher life expectancy due to biological and social factors. These include better immune systems, for example, as well as healthier diets, less consumption of alcohol and tobacco, and more frequent sports activities (see for example WHO, 2007). Although women keep enjoying a higher life expectancy when they turn 65, this trend also seems to be increasing for men suggesting that there are factors levelling out the life expectancies in the Nordic countries. Except for men in Denmark, all the Nordic countries were above the EU27 average on remaining life expectancy at age 65 (18.3 years for men and 21.8 years for women) in 2020.

 

Figure 3. Life expectancy at 65 by gender in the Nordic countries, 2020. 

Self-perceived health among older adults is a relevant indicator for understanding how older adults in the Nordic countries view their health and/or physical condition. This reflects how a large share of the cohort feel that they can continue to work if desirable, have the ability to socialize, and largely remain independent. Hence, it is an important measure of activity in older age.

The indicator for self-perceived health by sex, age, and degree of urbanisation measures individuals aged 65–74, 75–84, and older than 85. The data are broken down by gender and by degree of urbanisation, which means whether people live in cities, towns/suburbs, or rural areas. Self-perceived health is categorised into five levels of “very good”, “good”, “fair”, “bad”, and “very bad”. In addition, the data cover a period ranging from 2003 to 2020, allowing for examining development over time. Interestingly, the share of people perceiving their own health as “good” or “very good” declined with age. These gaps are particularly evident in Sweden, Finland, and Iceland, whereas in Norway and Denmark self-perceived health, rated as “good” or “very good” remained relatively constant between 65 and 85 years or more.

In the cohort aged 65–74 years, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland reported higher satisfaction with health (closer to 70 per cent) than Denmark (61 per cent) and Finland (57 per cent). Therefore, the data offer a rich source of information to address the aspect of self-perceived health from different relevant angles. It can be observed, for instance, that the self-perceived health of both men and women across the Nordic countries tends to decrease with age as those aged 65–74 show higher self-perceived health than those aged 75–84 and those older than 85 years. Differences in gender, however, seem to favour men across the Nordics. The levels are generally slightly higher for men than women aged 65 years or more. In Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, and Norway, men show higher scores than women in all three age segments, with significant differences among those aged 85 or over in Norway (72.1 per cent for men and 52.6 per cent for women). In Finland, women had higher levels in those aged 65–74 years and 85 years or over, but lower in those aged 75–84 years. The smallest difference between gender is seen in Finland, although the country also has the lowest levels of reported “good” health among the Nordic countries. Iceland is the country with the largest difference (women 52 per cent and men 61 per cent).

When looking at the share of “very good” and “good” self-perceived health over time, we see a general improvement in these three age segments across the Nordics since 2003. In 2020, Norway was the country with highest levels of self-perceived health in the age segments of 75–84 (61.7 per cent), and 85 and over (59 per cent), while Sweden showed the highest levels for those aged 65–74 (70.9 per cent). On the other hand, Finland showed the lowest levels in all three segments with 58.3 per cent among those aged 65–74, 45.3 per cent among those aged 75–84, and 30.7 per cent among those older than 85 years old. 

Self-perceived health can also be said to be closely related to income in the Nordics, but when examining differences in self-perceived health according to degree of urbanisation there are no clear patterns that can be observed between or within countries. For example, while self-perceived health in the age group 75–84 in Finland is higher in cities (52.1 per cent) than in towns and suburbs (48 per cent) and rural areas (43.2 per cent), the opposite can be observed in Norway where cities (58 per cent) score lower than towns and suburbs (66.2 per cent) and rural areas (67.4 per cent). 

If we look at the indicator for self-perceived long-standing limitations in usual activities due to health problems, we can see again that long-standing limitations become more severe with age. In the same way as self-perceived health, this indicator offers data by age, gender, and degree of urbanisation. Among the Nordic countries, Sweden and Norway had the lowest scores of self-perceived long-standing limitations in all three age segments in 2020. Denmark and Iceland followed, and Finland showed the highest levels especially in the age segment of those aged 85 or over. Since 2003, the data show that scores of long-standing limitations have decreased significantly in all Nordic countries except for in Denmark, which suggests a general improvement in the situation from the perspective of active and healthy ageing. 

In the case of Denmark, 22 per cent of those aged 65–74 reported long-standing limitations in 2003, but in 2020 this figure had increased to 38.4 per cent. This is also the case for those aged 75–84, and 85 or over, whose figures have soared from 28.9 per cent to 48.7 per cent and from 25.8 per cent to 47 per cent, respectively. When broken down by gender, only Norway presents noticeable differences between men and women. The rest of the countries show rather similar scores in all age segments. In Norway, women reflected higher scores in all three age segments in 2020, 25.8 per cent compared to 19.9 per cent (in the segment 65–74), 32.8 per cent compared to 18.8 per cent (in the segment 75–84), and 44.3 per cent compared to 28.6 per cent (in the segment of 85 years or over). By degree of urbanisation, we can see dissimilar patterns as some countries show a steady gradation in one direction, and some other countries show a gradation in the opposite direction. For example, in Denmark and Norway the gradation increases with rurality, meaning that rural areas (39.1 per cent in Denmark and 24.9 per cent in Norway) show higher scores for long-standing limitations than towns and suburbs (38.8 per cent and 18.1 per cent), and cities (29.1 per cent and 15.2 per cent). On the other hand, Finland shows higher scores in cities (43.9 per cent) than towns and suburbs (38.8 per cent), and rural areas (36.5 per cent). 

The indicators addressing socio-economic status include the levels of education, disposable income, and pension, in addition to poverty rates, material deprivation, and expenditures among the Nordic senior population. Many of these indicators are adjusted for relevant age groups. Based on international frameworks, such as the United Nations Human Development Index, it has been determined that a decent standard of living, a long and healthy life, and adequate knowledge, are key for measuring human progress at a national level (UNDP, 2021). This progress should not be reserved to a younger or more active population, but also needs to reflect those who are in the third and fourth cycles of life. Included here are also indicators on housing and living conditions, which are important for understanding which groups are particularly exposed to social exclusion or who are at risk of poverty. European statistics show that the number and proportion of older adults living alone is increasing, particularly among women, which is noteworthy because older adults who live alone have a greater risk of poverty and social exclusion (Eurostat, 2020).

Table 2. Nordic indicators for socio-economic status*

When examining educational level among the senior populations in the Nordics, we can identify three main patterns. First, in 2020, Norway, Sweden, and Finland showed quite similar educational levels among older adults. In all three countries around 20 per cent of the population achieved at least lower secondary education, 45 per cent post-secondary non-tertiary education, and 35 per cent tertiary education. Second, while Denmark slightly resembles this distribution, educational levels are somewhat lower among older adults with fewer older adults having completed a tertiary degree than in Sweden, Finland, and Norway. Third, Iceland presents a more equal distribution than that in the other countries as 32 per cent of the older population had completed lower secondary education, 36.7 per cent had reached post-secondary non-tertiary education, and 31.3 per cent had attained tertiary education (Lundgren, et al., 2021). 

When looking at gender, a common trait among the Nordics is that the percentage of women with tertiary education is higher than the percentage of men, except for in Norway where the difference is minimal (32.7 per cent for men and 32.1 per cent for women). Iceland and Denmark also show small gender differences. In Iceland the percentage of women is 32.2 per cent and 30.3 per cent for men, with corresponding figures in Denmark being 30.9 per cent for women and 26.5 per cent for men. Finland shows a somewhat higher gender difference in tertiary education attainment, although the scores there are the highest in the Nordics for both women (41.1 per cent) and men (34 per cent). Finally, male Swedes show the second lowest share of tertiary education attainment in the Nordics (at 26.9 per cent) while female Swedes show the second highest share (at 39.2 per cent).

Territorially, two clear patterns can be observed in the Nordic countries. First, the percentage of people with lower secondary education is higher in rural areas than in towns. This occurs in all five countries. The clearest example is Iceland where 46.8 per cent of people aged 55–74 have attained lower secondary education in rural areas while this percentage is 41.1 per cent in towns and suburbs, compared to 23.8 per cent in cities. Second, the percentage of people having achieved tertiary education is higher in cities than in towns and higher in towns than in rural areas. Iceland, again, is the clearest example in this regard, as 39.5 per cent of the population in the examined age groups have reached tertiary education in cities but only 20.5 per cent and 18.2 per cent have done so in towns and rural areas, respectively. 

A person who is at risk of poverty is here defined as someone who (despite social transfers) has a level of income less than 60 per cent of the median income for the whole population (Eurostat, 2020). It should be noted that this indicator measures the proportion of people who have a low income in comparison to other residents in the same country and does not necessarily imply that a person has a low standard of living (Eurostat, 2020). Figure 4 shows the at-risk-of-poverty rate for men and women aged 60 and over and 75 and over in all five Nordic countries in 2020. 

Figure 4. At-risk-of-poverty rate for men and women aged 60+ and 75+ in the Nordic countries, 2020.

The figure also shows that older women in all the Nordic countries are more often vulnerable than men in this context. This is particularly evident in Sweden, where the case for women aged 75 years is remarkably higher. The fact that women show a higher risk of poverty than men across the Nordics might be due to older women often having had shorter working careers and lower wages than men, which in turn is reflected in lower pensions and a disproportionate share of poverty among older women in all Nordic countries (OECD, 2019). In general, it is more common for women to take career breaks during their working lives. Women are also exposed to working part time and/or in lower paid jobs, which can result in lower pension entitlements.

Overall, at-risk-of-poverty, compared with the indicator on material deprivation rates, for instance, when accounted for by sex, is low for all the Nordic countries (Eurostat, 2020). These figures can additionally be considered alongside the normal retirement age by gender. According to 2019 data from the OECD, Norway and Iceland stand out among all countries with retirement ages around 67 years, but the differences compared to Denmark, Finland, and Sweden are relatively small where the average retirement age is 65 years. The retirement levels naturally impact the disposable incomes of older adults, but given the Nordic welfare systems, it is interesting to consider the self-reported unmet needs for specific health care-related services due to financial reasons (Eurostat, 2020). While the data account for sex, age, and degree of urbanisation, further scoping into other background variables could help sketch a Nordic landscape of active and healthy ageing preconditions where intersectional analysis is employed.

When it comes to the socio-economic status of older adults, it also relevant to consider housing and living conditions. When considering the tenure status for people aged 65 years or more, the Nordic countries show varying trends. The majority of older adults live in private housing, but Sweden and Denmark have the highest share of tenants renting at market price (Eurostat, 2020). This is due to highly regulated housing systems in these countries. Finland and Norway on the other hand have the highest percentage of owners with no outstanding mortgage or housing loan. This figure is also high for Iceland, and the country stands out among the five in terms of people renting housing at a reduced price according to the country’s public housing policy (Eurostat, 2020). In the Nordic countries, older adults are more likely than younger people to be homeowners, but even among the older groups the ownership structure may depend on a range of socio-economic determinants that in turn affect healthy ageing outcomes. This also needs to be considered alongside the other indicators addressing housing and living conditions included in Table 2.

Figure 5. People aged ≥65 years living alone, by tenure status, 2020. Note that data for Iceland are from 2018.

Examining the housing and living conditions of older adults can be of relevance from the perspective of understanding which groups are particularly exposed to poverty and social exclusion. The general trend in Europe shows an increasing number of older adults who live alone, particularly older women, which is notable because solitary older adults generally face a heightened risk of social exclusion and poverty (Eurostat, 2020). A similar tendency can also be observed in the Nordic countries. This can be seen in figure 5, showing the proportion of people aged 65 and over who live alone according to tenure status and income group in the five Nordic countries.

The general trend shows that the share of older adults who live alone is in most cases proportionately higher among those with lower incomes. This is particularly evident in Finland and Sweden where there is a considerably higher proportion of older adults living alone among those with lower incomes than those with higher incomes, both in owner-occupied and tenant-occupied housing. While the differences are less noticeable in the other countries, this nevertheless illustrates that examining the housing and living arrangements of older adults can be a way of better understanding socio-economic differences among different groups of older adults.

This domain groups together the indicators that measure how the older population in the Nordic countries spend their time, with an emphasis on digital skills, social contact, and support networks for older people, including voluntary activities, participation in cultural activities, tourism, and socialising with family and friends. All of these activities provide a means for older adults to remain active and connected to other members of society. Employment has been included here, for instance, to reflect active engagement as people age, but this may also overlap with observations concerning aspects of socio-economic status. In this case, employment is mainly used to indicate how active a group of the population is rather than measuring their socio-economic status.

Table 3. Nordic indicators for social activity, engagement, and participation*

* Note that AAI 2018 may exclude data on Norway and Iceland

In the Nordic context, digital literacy is an important component of active and healthy ageing, especially as welfare technology services are increasingly mainstreamed into public health systems. Digital literacy among older adults is important for overcoming digital exclusion as society is becoming increasingly digitalised. For example, digital skills can allow older adults to communicate with family and friends in different ways, as well as perform online shopping and banking, key functions that can be especially helpful for those with reduced mobility (Eurostat, 2020). In addition, digital skills are increasingly important in many jobs and thus are central for improving the employability of older workers. 

 

Figure 6. Internet usage activity for the age group 55–74 in the five Nordic countries, by education, 2021.

Figure 6 shows internet usage activity for the age group 55–74 in the five Nordic countries. The activities comprise using email, videocalls, and social networks, measured as the percentage of people who have used the internet at least once in the last three years to carry out any of the three activities (emails, video call, social networks) appearing in the graph. As seen, this is particularly high among the 55–74 years cohort across the Nordic countries. The shares of the older population using videocalls in the Nordic countries were consistent with EU27 countries at about 25 per cent, but Iceland and Norway were above the European average. In Norway, almost half of the population aged 65–74 years used videocalls, with Iceland being slightly below this. The percentages for four of the Nordic countries are particularly high when it comes to sending/receiving emails. Here, all countries show that over 75 per cent of people aged 55–75 years use emails, except for in Finland where the proportion is closer to 60 per cent. In Denmark this is especially true for using emails. In Sweden and Finland, however, the use of emails among this group of the population is 77 per cent and 78 per cent respectively, which is considerably lower than in the rest of the Nordics. 

When it comes to social networks, Denmark and Norway have higher participation rates, with Iceland at the top among the Nordic countries. In Sweden and Finland on the other hand, only one third of this population group participate in social networks. To compare, in the EU27 countries overall only approximately 18 per cent of older adults participate in online social networks, compared with an average of 54 per cent for all adults. More broadly, it can be said that the percentage of the population in the Nordic countries possessing digital skills is higher than the European average. More notably, when it comes to sending/receiving e-mails and seeking health information, while the latter is not shown here, the data indicate that the user rates among older people is increasing (Eurostat, 2020).

The figure also reflects internet usage activity according to educational levels. A clear trend that can be observed is that people with a higher formal educational level in general have more frequent internet activity, including email, videocalls, and online social networks. Indeed, the relation between educational levels and digital capabilities are evident across the three activities in all of the Nordic countries. However, differences in digital literacy and skills between the older population and the general Nordic population suggest a less noticeable digital divide compared to other EU countries overall, where the differences are larger (Eurostat, 2020). 

 
Figure 7. Internet activities measured as the percentage of people who have used the internet at least once in the last three years to carry out any of the tasks appearing in the graph.  

Figure 7 provides an outlook on internet activity compared to the previous figure by showing differences in internet activity among men and women aged 55–74. In all five countries, women are more frequent internet users compared to men. The most noticeable differences between women and men can be seen in the use of videocalls and in participation in online social networks, where women are noticeably more frequent users than men in all five Nordic countries. Email communication is the most common activity among the three activity types shown in the figure in all countries, and differences between men and women appear to be relatively small, with both genders being almost equally active. 

Cultural and other events can enhance the quality of a person’s life because they promote the opportunity for engagement, which can increase a sense of belonging and wellbeing (Eurostat, 2020). However, the ability to participate in different types of activities and events tends to decline as a function of age. This is likely due to several aspects such as lack of mobility or transportation alternatives, fewer social contacts, lower disposable income, poorer health, or living in remote/rural areas. For this indicator, participation is measured as the percentage of the population that has gone to a cultural (defined as trips to the cinema, live performances, and to cultural sites) and/or sporting event in the previous 12 months (Eurostat, 2020).

Among older adults in the Nordic countries, more than 80 per cent of the population aged 65–74 years participate in cultural and/or sporting events, reflecting some of the highest levels in Europe (Eurostat, 2020). Finland is, however, an exception, having slightly lower levels of participation at 75 per cent among those aged 64–74 years, but compared to rest of Europe, this is still indicative of high activity within the cohort. Considering differences in gender, women were especially more likely than their male counterparts to have participated in cultural and/or sporting events. This is evident to a greater extent in Denmark and Iceland, where the participation of women is at 85 per cent, but 80 per cent for men, with comparable differences in Iceland. 

Engagement in voluntary activities is another important component of activity in older age. The indicator from Eurostat on participation in voluntary activities offers data for people aged over 65 and over 75. In addition, it also provides data broken down by educational attainment (lower secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary) and by gender. Voluntary activities comprise three categories, namely formal voluntary activities, informal voluntary activities, and active citizenship. This indicator was produced as an ad-hoc module for the survey on income and living conditions (EU-SILC), and, therefore, it only covers the year 2015. Despite that, some patterns can be identified across the Nordic region. For example, all types of voluntary activities decrease with age in all Nordic countries. In addition, men engage themselves more often than women in all types of voluntary activities. Another interesting pattern is that in all countries and for both genders, informal voluntary activities are the most common, followed by formal voluntary activities and active citizenship. 

Finally, it is also noteworthy that educational attainment plays an important role in conducting voluntary activities. Again, in all countries and for both genders, the higher the educational attainment, the higher the engagement in voluntary activities. In this sense, and as a matter of illustration, 30.5 per cent of men aged 65 or over in Norway with lower secondary education engage in voluntary activities while this percentage grows to 42.9 per cent among those with post-secondary non-tertiary education, and up to 60.9 per cent for those with tertiary education. Although women participate less in voluntary activities, the same pattern can be observed elsewhere. In Norway, for example, the percentages of women participating in voluntary activities are 22.5 per cent for those with lower secondary education, 36.1 per cent for those with post-secondary non-tertiary, and 46.2 per cent for those with tertiary education.